Deceptive Practices: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay
Kino Lorber | Release Date: April 17, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
79
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranMay 16, 2013
This documentary provides an elegant, enthralling peek behind the curtain and into the you-won't-trust-your-eyes world of this celebrated contemporary conjurer. Read full review
90
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlApr 16, 2013
Here's a movie with magic. Read full review
80
The New York TimesManohla DargisApr 16, 2013
Unsurprisingly, Mr. Jay proves a hugely entertaining guide, and as generous about his professional inspirations as he is reticent about his own life. Read full review
80
Time OutKeith UhlichApr 16, 2013
The man himself has rarely been profiled without noticeable reluctance, though documentarians Molly Bernstein and Alan Edelstein delve fairly deep by allowing their subject to guide them where he may. Read full review
75
New York PostLou LumenickApr 18, 2013
Whatever the unanswered mysteries of Jay’s personal life, just watching this magician’s hands at work with a deck of cards is positively mesmerizing. Read full review
75
NPRBob MondelloApr 18, 2013
After sitting at his elbow that day, I can tell you how he manages the tricks I saw really close-up. Not mysterious at all: It's magic, pure and simple. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubNathan RabinApr 17, 2013
The film never even attempts to peer behind the curtain of Jay’s colorful existence; it’s content that the show in front of it is spectacle enough. But Deceptive Practices would be a richer, deeper experience if the filmmakers had penetrated Jay’s fierce boundaries even a little. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertApr 17, 2013
This film is a documentary about the young man's devilment. He seems perfectly happy — ecstatic, even — seated at a table in front of a three-sided mirror and practicing card moves over and over and over again. As a kid, he learned moves from his grandfather. He moved away from home in his early teens. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineJoseph Jon LanthierApr 14, 2013
It never bothers to attempt the one thing we'd expect and hope from a documentary about Ricky Jay: It doesn't try to bamboozle us. Read full review
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